Drawer suspension slide



Nov. 21, 1961 H. c. RACKOW DRAWER SUSPENSION SLIDE Fil ed Nov. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 k wi a m m m HERBERT C. RAG/(0W BYQMMAM A TTORNEYS 1961 H. c. RACKOW 3,009,755

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IN V EN TOR. 'HERBER T C. RACKOW BY Q MUMM ATTORNEYS United States atent 3,009,755 DRAWER SUSPENSION SLIDE Herbert C. Rackow, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to Stow & Davis Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 773,001 8 Claims. (Cl. 312-339) This invention relates to drawer suspension slides in general, and more particularly to a new and improved drawer suspension slide assembly.

Drawer suspension slides are used to enable a desk drawer, file cabinet drawer, or'the like to be extended from its housing without having the weight of the drawer cause a bind in the guide means assembly thereof. Heavily loaded drawers are inclined to tip downwardly in their extended position unless some means is provided to distribute the weight back into the drawer housing. This is best done by a drawer suspension slide assembly.

It is desirable that the drawer suspension means not only counterbalance the weight of the drawer and its contents but that it also enable smooth and quiet movement of the drawer member into. and out of its housing. Towards this end journal and ball bearing rollers of metallic, nylon or other synthetic material have been used. Bearing balls have been used in guide track grooves, and numerous other means have been tried.

- The use-of ballbearing members in guide track grooves is a very effective means of attaining easy and quiet drawer movement. However, the use of ball bearing members in drawer suspension slide assemblies has presented manufacturing and assembly problems which have made such assemblies unduly expensive. The ball bearing members must be retained within cooperatively disposed parts of the slide assembly, where they are hidden from view and, more important, where they are protected against inadvertent damage or the like. Also, they must be relatively free from engagement with the side walls of the cooperatively disposed slide assembly parts for most efficient operation.

Rollers used in drawer suspension assemblies generally either include a good friction free shaft support, which is expensive, or are disposed free in elongated slots which permit rolling movement much like the ball bearing members. The latter is less expensive but has the disadvantage of usually resulting in drawer chatter. As the drawer is withdrawn the free rollers will either roll against an edge of their retaining slot or they will strike the slot edge in the fully extended or retracted drawer positions.

Drawer chatter may also occur due to the ball bearing members striking the end of their guide tracks when a drawer is opened or closed quickly. It may also occur due to frictional engagement between drawer slide parts which are not properly held apart.

It is an object of this invention to disclose a drawer suspension slide assembly in which there will be no appreciable drawer chatter.

It is an object of this invention to disclose a drawer suspension assembly making use of ball bearing and roller members wherein such members are disposed rattle and chatter free within the assembly.

It is also an object of this invention to disclose a drawer suspension assembly which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble; and at the same time provides quiet and smooth drawer operation.

Another object of this invention is to disclose how free rollers may be used in drawer suspension assemblies without the normally expected roller chatter.

Still another object of this invention is to disclose means preventing side wall binding of the ball bearing members without requiring the expensive manufacturing of special ball bearing retaining groove, or the like.

3,009,755 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 A further object of this invention is to disclose means guarding against ball bearing noise in a drawer assembly when it is quickly withdrawn from or returned to its housing.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose a drawer suspension slide assembly having a combination of features cooperating together to collectively provide a smooth and quiet operating drawer amply supported when fully retracted from its housing.

These and other objects and advantages in the practice of this invention will be more apparent in the illustration and description of a working embodiment of the invention, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side plane view of the important sections of the drawer slide assembly of this invention, as seen from FIG. 5 is a cross sectional end view of the slide assembly as seen in the plane of line VV of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional end view of the slide assembly as seen in the plane of line VIVI of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the slide assembly, as seen from the back side, and having parts broken away and shown in cross section to better illustrate a feature of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a part of the slide assembly, showing another detail feature thereof.

The drawer suspension slide assembly of this invention includes a drawer engaging slide member and a housing engaging slide member having an extension slide member disposed ther'ebetween. The extension slide is formed and includes parts for holding all three slide members engaged together.

inter-mediate slide member, as well as between and within the protection of the latter and the housing slide. Roller means are also provided between the drawer and housing slides.

As will be shown, means are provided between the intermediate slide and the drawer and housing slides to prevent chatter in the suspension slide assembly due to lateral relative movement of the respective slide members.

Other means are provided to prevent ball bearing and.

other flange 24 is formed from. the upper edge of the wall 21 and extends normal thereto and in the same direction as the lower flange 22. The upper flange 24 however does not extend as far out as the lower flange 22. Anupturned edge 25 is formedon the flange 24. The housing slide20 has strap brackets 26 and '27 secured to the back wall part 21' thereof, to enable securing the slide within av drawer housing (not shown).

The drawer supporting slide 30 is similar in cross sec- Ball bearing members are mounted be tween and within the protection of the drawer slide and tion-al shape to the housing slide 20. However, the drawer slide 30, as disposed in the suspension assembly 10, is upside down with respect to the housing slide. The drawer slide includes an outer wall 31, an upper flange 32 with a downturned lip 33, and a lower flange 34 with a downturned edge 35. The upper flange 32 extends out further from the outer wall 31 than does the lower flange 34.

The drawer slide 30 has drawer engaging brackets 36 and 37 secured to the upper side of the flange 32 and the inside of the lip 33.

The intermediate slide member 40 includes parallel spaced upper and lower wall portions 41 and 42 joined together by a connecting shoulder 43. The upper wall portion 41 includes a rolled edge 44 and the lower wall portion includes a flange 45 with an upturned edge 46. The rolled edge 44 and flange 45 extend from their respective walls 41 and 42 in opposite directions. The rolled edge 44 does not extend out as far as the wall 42 while the flange 45 extends out further than the upper wall portion 41.

The upper wall portion 41 of the intermediate slide 40 is received within and between the flanges 32 and 34 of the drawer slide 30. The lower wall portion 42 is received within and between the flanges 22 and 24 of the housing slide 20. The wall portions 41 and 42 of the intermediate slide are received in parallel and close spaced relation to the outer wall 31 of the drawer slide and the back wall 21 of the housing slide, respectively. The down-turned lip 33 of the drawer slide is in overlapping spaced relation to the upturned edge 25 of the housing slide. The rolled edge 44 of the intermediate slide is received in parallel spaced relation between the lip and edge 33 and 25.

The connecting shoulder 43 of the intermediate slide is in about equally spaced parallel relation between the housing slide flange 24 and the drawer slide flange 34.

The upturned edge 46 of the intermediate slide is disposed in aligned parallel spaced relation over the upturned lip 23 of the housing slide. The upturned edge 46 of the intermediate slide is in parallel overlapping spaced relation to the downturned edge 35 of the drawer slide.

Ball bearing members 50 are disposed within ball bearing races or tracks 51 and 52 formed by the shoulder 43 of the intermediate slide and the housing and drawer slide flanges 24 and 34, respectfully. The ball races or tracks 51 and 52 are each divided into two separate aligned track sections by ball stops 53. The ball stops 53 are secured to one of the race defining slides. Each stop includes a bumper 54 disposed on the ball retaining side thereof.

A pair of rollers 60 are included in the suspension slide assembly. One of the rollers is mounted near the outer end of the intermediate slide 49 and the other is mounted nearer the middle thereof. The rollers 60 are mounted within slots 61 cut in the lower flange 45. Each includes an axle shaft pin 62 which spaces the roller wheel 60 between the wall 42 and upturned flange edge 46. The axle shaft pin 62 of the outermost roller 60 also serves as -a support for the roller on flange 45 as the drawer slide 30 is extended.

To prevent the rollers 60 from chattering in the slots 61, or from striking the edges of the slots, nylon blocks 63 are provided on each side of the rollers. The blocks 63 are slotted, as at 64, so that they are easily disposed on the flange 45 and within the roller retaining slots 61. The roller blocks 63 have a low coeflicient of friction and therefore ofler no appreciable resistance to the operation of the rollers 60. They are also of a non-resonant or sound absorbent character which makes them highly eflective in eliminating roller chatter.

Button head spacers 70, of nylon, are mounted on the outer ends of the housing and intermediate slides 20 and 40 and at the inner ends of the intermediate and drawer slides 40 and 30. The button heads are thus, at all times during the use of the suspension slide assembly, disposed to space the intermediate slide walls 42 and 41 apart from the housing and drawer slide walls 21 and 31, respectively. The hard wearing low ooeflicient of friction characteristic of nylon makes it the ideal slide spacing means for this assembly. Further, the use of such spacers 7 0 serve amply to provide wide enough ball races 51 and 52, and to thereby eliminate the need for any ball retaining flanges or grooves in the slide flanges 21, 31 or shoulder 43.

A slide guide is secured to the flange 45, between the flange and the housing slide flange 22, and guides against the flange lip 23.

The back end of the housing slide 20 is closed by a corner forming member 90. The corner forming member is secured by fastener means 91 to the housing slide flange 22. Its end closing flange 92 is faced with a resilient material which forms a bumper pad 93. Both the drawer slide 30 and intermediate slide 40 engage the bumper pad 93 in their fully retracted positions.

Operation The suspension slide assemblies 10 of this invention are used in pairs. A pair of the units are mounted within a drawer housing and on each side of the drawer receptive space thereof.

The brackets 26 and 27 are used to secure the housing slide 20 to and within the housing member. The closing stop members are disposed at the far end of housing opening and the ends of the slide assemblies are disposed near the outer edge of the opening.

The drawer unit is mounted on the drawer slides 30, as by means of brackets 36 and 37. The front face of the drawer unit is intended to dlose the housing opening with the various slides 20, 30 and 40 in relative retracted positions.

When the drawer unit is being withdrawn from the housing member, the following occurs:

The drawer slides 30 are moved outwardly relative to the intermediate slides 40 and the intermediate slides 40 are moved outwardly relative to the housing slides 20. The drawer slides 30 travel on the ball bearings 50, in the bearing race 52, and on the rollers 60. The rolling of the ball bearings 50 on the shoulder 43 and the rolling motion of the rollers 60 activates the intermediate slide 40. The rollers 60 and the ball bearings 50, in the hearing race 51, guide the intermediate slide.

The drawer slides 30 travel approximately twice the distance of the intermediate slides 40. The disposition of the button headed spacers 70 on the ends of the housing, drawer, and intermediate slides which at all times remain in overlapping relation, assures proper lateral spacing of the slides, in operation, and of the side walls forming the bearing races 51 and 52, for freedom from bind as regards the ball bearings 50.

The ball stop bumpers 54 prevent any ball noise in the assemblies. They are disposed at the ends of the bearing races 51 and 52 for engagement with the ball bearing members St at the ends of their travel. With the block inserts 63 and the end stop bumper 93, all chance of noise in the assemblies, due to advancing or retracting the suspension slide assembly parts, is entirely eliminated.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be understood that other modifications and improvements may be made thereto. Such of these modifications and improvements as incorporate the principles of this invention are to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; housing and drawer engaging slides having an intermediate slide operatively mounted therebetween, ball bearing races formed between said intermediate slide and Said housing and drawer slides, and race spacing buttons secured to the sides of said slide and slides maintaining said slide and slides in overlapping relation for smoother operation of ball bearing members received in said races.

2. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; housing and drawer engaging slides having an intermediate slide operatively mounted therebetween, ball bearing races formed between said intermediate slide and said housing and drawer slides, said intermediate slide and said housing and drawer slides having plane surfaced shoulders and fianges defining the upper and lower walls of said races, and race spacing members engaged to the side walls of said slide and slides remaining in overlapping relation during operation of said assembly for spacing the side walls of said races and preventing ball bearing bind.

3. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; housing and drawer engaging slides having an intermediate slide operatively mounted therebetwe'en, said intermediate slide including parallel spaced race forming walls having a plane surfaced shoulder therebetween, said housing and drawer slides including race forming walls and plane surfaced flanges at the ends thereof, said intermediate slide being assembled with said housing and drawer slides to form separate ball bearing races therewith on opposite sides of said plane surfaced shoulder, and race spacing members engaged to the race defining walls of said slide and slides on the outside and near the continuously overlapping ends thereof for maintaining a bind free width within said bearing races.

4. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; a housing slide and a drawer slide having an intermediate slide mounted therebetween, ball heating means provided between said intermediate slide and said housing and drawer slides respectively, free roller means provided between said housing and drawer slides, said intermediate slide having an opening to accommodate said roller means without interference therewith, and chatter silencing means mounted on said intermediate slide and immediately adjacent each side of said roller means for preventing drawer noise normally incident to the use of free roller means.

5. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; a housing slide and a drawer slide having an intermediate slide mounted therebetween, ball bearing means provided between said intermediate slide and said housing and drawer slides respectively, free roller means provided between said housing and drawer slides, said intermediate slide having elongated slots formed therein for receiving said roller means therethrough, and roller silencing blocks mounted within the ends of said slots and on said intermediate slide and being immediately adjacent said roller means, said blocks having a low coeflicient of friction to minimize interference with said roller means and a lower resonant character to eliminate roller noise normally incident to the use of free roller means.

6. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; a housing slide and a drawer slide having an extension slide operatively mounted therebetween, said slides being formed and disposed to provide ball bearing retaining ball races between said extension slide and said housing and drawer slides respectively, resilient bumper stops mounted to adjaeently disposed relatively movable race races and permitting relative movement between said slides, and race spacing members secured to the race defining walls of said slides for maintaining a bind free width within said bearing races.

' 7. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; a housing slide and a drawer slide having an extension slide operatively mounted therebetween, said slides being formed and disposed to provide ball bearing retaining ball races between said extension slide and said housing and drawer slides respectively, stops mounted on the continuously overlapped race defining walls of said slides and disposed within said ball races, said stops defining the length of said ball races and the permissive relative movement between said slides, resilient sound absorbent bumper means mounted on said stops and disposed within said races for engagement by the ball bearing means thereof and the elimination of bearing noise incident to the use of such bearing means, and race spacing members secured to the race defining walls of said slides and disposed normal thereto for maintaining a bind free width within said bearing races.

8. A drawer suspension slide assembly, comprising; a housing engaging slide and a drawer supporting slide having an extension slide operatively mounted therebetween, said extension slide including parallel spaced race forming walls having a plane surfaced shoulder provided therebetween, said housing and drawer slides each including a race forming wall and a plane surfaced flange received in parallel spaced relation to said plane surfaced shoulder of said extension slide, said slides being assembled to form separate ball bearing races between said extension slide and said housing and drawer slides respectively, said bearing races being on opposite sides of said extension shoulder, free roller means provided between said housing and drawer slides, said extension slide having a flange including an elongated slot receptive of said free roller means therethrough, and ballheaded spacer members engaged to continuouslyoverlapped ends of the race defining walls of said slides for maintaining bind free of said bearing races, bumper stop means engaged to continuously overlapped ends of said race defining slide member walls for defining the length of said bearing races, roller engaging blocks having a low coefficient of friction and mounted on said extension slide; said spacer members, bumper stop means, and roller engaging blocks contributing in providing a noise free drawer suspension slide assembly in operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,877 Kuebler Oct. 11, 1904 1,135,235 Weiss Apr. 13,1915 1,227,939 Sampson May 29, 1917 1,321,166 Voight Nov. 111, 1919 1,929,762 Ulrich Oct. 10, 1933 2,350,228 Hanes May 30, 1944 2,719,772 Petkwitz Oct. 4, 1955 2,762,660 Bullock Sept. 11, 1956 2,794,690 Bullock June 4, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 921,253 France Jan. 10, 1947 

